Replacing Water Mains in Flint Will Be Costly

It all boils down to this, replacing 13 miles of water mains every year for the next 50 years. Repairing or replacing five dams, switching out at least 2,000 lead service lines every year for five years.

Those are some of the immediate needs for the city of Flint's ailing water system that go far beyond removing lead particles from the contaminated drinking water supply, according to a state commissioned report obtained by the Detroit Free Press.

The new infrastructure recommendations from Flint based engineering firm Rowe Professional Services also come with a price tag of more than $214 million, including $80 million needed to dig up and replace roughly 10,000 lead pipes carrying water to homes and businesses.